BGC Warns Further UK Tax Rises Will Accelerate Job Losses After Flutter Announces Up to 1,400 Redundancies
Flutter UK & Ireland plans up to 1,400 redundancies and a $80-90m restructuring charge after the April remote gaming duty increase. The BGC warns this reflects real harm to licensed operators and urges against raising machine games duty to 40%, which would accelerate job losses and aid the illegal market.
SCCG Take — Successive tax hikes are forcing structural cost cuts at scale operators, underscoring the risk that policy changes erode the regulated UK’s competitive position.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned UK ministers that additional gambling tax increases will intensify damage to the regulated sector. This follows Flutter UK & Ireland’s confirmation of up to 1,400 redundancies linked to the remote gaming duty rise implemented in April. As reported by Slot Beats, BGC Chief Executive Officer Grainne Hurst called the cuts ‘another devastating blow to workers and families across our sector, and further evidence of the real-world consequences of the Government’s tax rises.’
Hurst stated: “These are not just numbers. They are people facing uncertainty over their livelihoods as major British employers are forced to make painful decisions in response to mounting tax pressures.” She added that businesses are already cutting jobs, closing betting shops and scaling back investment. Further tax rises will only accelerate that damage, putting thousands more jobs at risk, threatening high streets and handing an advantage to the unsafe, unregulated illegal gambling market.
Flutter’s Restructuring Under New Leadership
The redundancies mark the first major decision by Dan Taylor since he replaced Peter Jackson as Chief Executive Officer of Flutter Entertainment at the start of October. The restructuring carries an associated cost of $80m-$90m, to be incurred in the fourth quarter of 2026. Affected locations include Leeds, UK; Dublin, Ireland; Porto, Portugal; and Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Flutter Entertainment employs 28,500 people globally, with 9,000 part of its UK & Ireland business. Kevin Harrington, CEO of Flutter UK & Ireland, noted the material increase in betting and gaming duties has fundamentally changed the economic model of the regulated industry. The Labour government is contemplating an increase in machine games duty up to 40% in its upcoming budget.
Calls for Policy Reassessment
Hurst urged ministers to recognise the damage already done to the regulated sector. She called on them to think again before imposing further tax rises that will cost more jobs and livelihoods. Harrington echoed that the operator cannot fully absorb a rise of this magnitude without reducing its fixed cost base.
Reporting: Slot Beats
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Gaming, betting and prediction markets — the desk’s read, every weekday.
Subscribe →